Written question asked by Andrew Rosindell (Conservative) on Wednesday, 25 November 2009, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Monday, 30 November 2009. It was answered by Maria Eagle (Labour) on Tuesday, 12 January 2010 on behalf of the Ministry of Justice.

Homicide

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many of those convicted of murder since 1997 have been placed in open prisons; and how many such offenders have escaped.

Answer: Figures on the number of prisoners convicted of murder since 1997 who have been placed in open conditions is not available centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost by accessing the individual record of each such prisoner.Transfer of any prisoner to open conditions will only take place if continued detention in closed conditions is no longer necessary for the protection of the public. Open conditions allow prisoners to find work, re-establish family ties and reintegrate into the community. All these are essential components for successful resettlement and an important factor in protecting the public.Data on absconds from open prison by index offence type have been recorded centrally since 1 April 2004. Between April 2004 and November 2009, 69 prisoners convicted of murder have absconded from open prisons. Three of these prisoners are recorded as still being at large.The rate of abscond from open prisons continues to fall and absconds are now at their lowest level since centralised reporting of this type of incident began in 1995.

Secondary information